The present invention relates generally to cordless telephone communication systems, and in particular to providing dispatch services in a cordless telephone communication system.
Cordless telephone systems provide low-power two-way wireless communications over a very limited distance, such as 300 to 600 feet. A communication unit, or portable part (PP), is connected to a telecommunication network, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), via a base station, or radio fixed part (RFP), that is connected to an external telephone line. The RFP provides communications services to the PP, receiving communications from the telecommunication network and modulating the received communications onto an RF signal for transmission to the PP. The PP in turn communicates with the telecommunication network via the RFP, transmitting RF signals to the RFP that the RFP demodulates and transmits over the telecommunication network. The two primary systems covering the design of a digital cordless telephone system and protocols used by such a system are Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) and Personal Wireless Telecommunications (PWT).
In a business environment, the RFP may provide communications services to multiple PP""s, thereby reducing the number of external telephone lines required to provide telephone services to each of the PP""s. In addition, in a large corporate setting there may be multiple RFP""s that together support the multiple PP""s, wherein each of the multiple PP""s may access a telecommunication network via any one of the multiple RFP""s. However, in a digital cordless telecommunication system based on a DECT protocol or a PWT protocol, there is no prescribed method for dispatch communications in which one PP of the multiple PP""s may engage in a group communication with one or more of the other PP""s and circumvent the telecommunication network.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that provides dispatch-type services in a cordless telecommunication system.